I’ve travelled a lot in the last few years – at one point last year I think I’d been in 12 different countries in just over 12 months – and one of my most exciting trips was a (too) brief visit to New York City.

I had just four days to fit in as exhaustive an experience of this iconic city as I had the energy for, with my dear (and seemingly tireless) friend Isabelle, who flew all the way from California to be my guide and keep me company.

Deciding what to see and what to miss out was an agonising process, but with limited time we had to choose carefully, always making sure we included adequate time for quite a lot of eating. To justify this, and because New York is such great city to walk in, we made sure we spent plenty of time on our feet.

One of the best ways to get some exercise and enjoy excellent views of this amazing city, while surrounded by lush gardens, is to visit to the ingenious High Line, a linear park established on a disused railroad spur above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side.

Many of the plants are native species. Photo: Amanda McInerney

I first read of the High Line Park last year after Mel Kettle of The Cook’s Notebook wrote about her visit there.  At the time she walked it, it was one mile (1.6km) long and deserted, but the day we visited the ribbon was being cut on the final extension to the park, making it now 1.45 miles (2.3km) long and – possibly in part due to the ribbon-cutting ceremony – extremely crowded.

The project began in 1999 when the Friends of the High Line was formed to fight to prevent the demolition of the line and the scheme is now hailed as a model of urban redevelopment. Each year the park attracts close to 5 million visitors, both locals and tourists, and it has inspired similar projects in Paris and Mexico City.

Street art along High Line Park. Photo: Amanda McInerney

The park is full of an astonishing variety of plants, including large trees which frame views of the city. Almost half of the High Line’s plants are native species and many of the plantings are inspired by the naturally occurring, self-seeded landscape which existed on the disused tracks, with many of the plants produced by local growers.

Apparently the crowds present on the day we visited were not all that unusual and the park has a busy schedule of activities including concerts, artistic commissions, tai chi groups, meditation classes, poetry walks, art workshops, children’s activities, gardening groups and much more.

City views are part of the package. Photo: Amanda McInerney

This extraordinary project has taken a dilapidated and disused stretch of ugly railway line and converted it to a sensational and much-loved community asset which has enriched local areas – and local property owners, as the neighbourhood becomes gentrified, but that’s another story.

River views from High Line Park. Photo: Amanda McInerney

Getting there

The High Line runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues. The official website features a map and lists streets from which it can be accessed and public transport options for reaching these points.

Park features

There are a number of designated points along the High Line that offer space for various activities or simply to stop and relax. They include the Chelsea Market Passage, a semi-enclosed passage which features food vendors and art programs; Diller – von Furstenberg Sundeck & Water Feature, a pathway flanked by lounge chairs and a water feature; Chelsea Thicket, a miniature forest with the original railroad tracks embedded into the walkway; and 14th Street Passage, another semi-enclosed passage used to present an outdoor video program. Free guided tours are also available on certain days.

Hours

The park is open from 7am-7pm from December 1 until March 31; from 7am-10m from April 1-May 31, and October 1-November 30; from 7am-11pm from June 1-September 30.

South Australian writer Amanda McInerney writes about travel and food on her Lambs’ Ears & Honey blog.